It's a dog's life for them! Abandoned baby tigers mothered by a welcoming Shar-Pei hound

When a rare Siberian tiger gave birth to two baby cubs at a zoo in Sochi, Russia, keepers were overjoyed.

However, when the cubs' mother refused to feed them, an unusual candidate stepped forward.

The two cubs were adopted by the most unlikeliest of nannies - a Shar-Pei dog called Cleopatra - who now breastfeeds and cleans the tigers, Clyopa and Plyusha.

Special bond: Cleopatra the Shar Pei feeds her two adoptive children. When the two cubs' mother refused to feed them Cleopatra took over mothering duties and is now giving them all her attention, zoo workers have said

Playful: Siberian tiger cub Plyusha gets the better of Shar-Pei puppy Fighter in the house in Socha, Russia

Luckily, Cleopatra had just had a litter of puppies herself, and freely accepted the cubs as her own.

Now the cubs live with Cleopatra, her puppies, and a cat called Masyanya at a house in Sochi, western Russia, where they are taken care of by owner Yekaterina Khodakova.